Terms and conditions
Your Key Rights under the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018
1. Travellers will receive all essential information about the package before concluding the package travel contract.
2.There is always at least one trader who is liable for the proper performance of all the travel services included in the contract.
3. Travellers are given an emergency telephone number or details of a contact point where they can get in touch with the organiser or the travel agent.
4. Travellers may transfer the package to another person, on reasonable notice and possibly subject to additional costs.
5.The price of the package may only be increased if specific costs rise (for instance, fuel prices) and if expressly provided for in the contract, and in any event not later than 20 days before the start of the package. If the price increase exceeds 8% of the price of the package, the traveller may terminate the contract. If the organiser reserves the right to a price increase, the traveller has a right to a price reduction if there is a decrease in the relevant costs.
6. Travellers may terminate the contract without paying any termination fee and get a full refund of any payments if any of the essential elements of the package, other than the price, are changed significantly. If before the start of the package the trader responsible for the package cancels the package, travellers are entitled to a refund and compensation where appropriate.
7. Travellers may terminate the contract without paying any termination fee before the start of the package in the event of exceptional circumstances, for instance if there are serious security problems at the destination which are likely to affect the package.
8. Additionally, travellers may at any time before the start of the package terminate the contract in return for an appropriate and justifiable termination fee.
9. If, after the start of the package, significant elements of the package cannot be provided as agreed, suitable alternative arrangements will have to be offered to the traveller at no extra cost. Travellers may terminate the contract without paying any termination fee, where services are not performed in accordance with the contract and this substantially affects the performance of the package and the organiser fails to remedy the problem.
10. Travellers are also entitled to a price reduction and/or compensation for damages where the travel services are not performed or are improperly performed.
11. The organiser has to provide assistance if the traveller is in difficulty.
12. If the organiser or, in some Member States, the retailer becomes insolvent, payments will be refunded. If the organiser or, where applicable, the retailer becomes insolvent after the start of the package and if transport is included in the package, repatriation of the travellers is secured. We have taken out insolvency protection with the financial protection entity The Air Travel Organisers Licensing (ATOL) You can contact The Air Travel Organisers Licensing (ATOL) scheme Civil Aviation Authority, Gatwick Airport South, West Sussex, RH6 0YR, UK, telephone 0333 103 6350, email claims@caa.co.uk
13. The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 can be found - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/634/contents/made
Your Holiday Contract:
1.1. Your contract is with Virgin Holidays Limited and not with Virgin Atlantic.
1.2. When a booking is made, the ‘lead name’ on the booking guarantees that he or she has the authority to accept and does accept on behalf of all members of your party the terms of these booking conditions. After we receive your booking and all appropriate payments, if the arrangements you wish to book are available, we will issue a confirmation invoice.
1.3. A binding agreement will come into existence between us when we dispatch this invoice to the ‘lead name’. This contract is governed by English Law, and the jurisdiction of the English Courts. You may however, choose the law and jurisdiction of Scotland or Northern Ireland if you are a resident in either of those jurisdictions.
1.4. It is important to check the details on your invoice when you get it, or if booking late at the time of booking, that all the details are exactly as you requested. In the event of any discrepancy, please contact us immediately as it may not be possible to make changes or corrections later.
1.5. Once you have made your booking, then any amendments to the booking or to your Travel Arrangements (which are subject to clause 7 below) will be subject to these Booking Conditions which will apply to that amendment immediately upon the amendment being confirmed.
1.6. These Booking Conditions apply equally to all members of your party named in the booking. Where the ‘lead name’ on the booking is booking on behalf of other persons, it is your responsibility to ensure that these Booking Conditions are brought to their attention and that they are familiar with them. We are entitled to assume that all members of your party have read these Booking Conditions. Any reference to ‘you’ or ‘your’ shall be deemed to include all named persons on the booking.
1.7. Only we, the ‘lead name’ on the booking and any other persons in your party and whose names appear on the booking shall have any rights to enforce these Booking Conditions.
1.8. The ‘lead name’ who makes and pays for the booking must be at least 18 years old.
1.9. These conditions, together with any further conditions that may also be applied by our suppliers make the ‘Conditions of Contract’ and constitute the entire agreement between you and Virgin Atlantic Holidays. Many of our supplier’s terms and conditions can be found on their websites and we can also provide you with a copy at the time of booking, upon request. By proceeding with a booking, you acknowledge that you have read and understood all of the Conditions of Contract and agree to be bound by them.
Please note: travel insurance will not form part of the Holiday which you book with us.
Paying for your holiday:
In order to confirm your chosen arrangements, you must pay a non-refundable deposit, which may be higher than the standard deposit to secure specific types of airline tickets, tours, cruises etc, and this will be confirmed to you at time of booking. If booking within 12 weeks of departure full payment will be required by credit card or debit card. The balance of the cost of your arrangements (including any surcharge where applicable) is due not less than 12 weeks prior to departure. If we do not receive this balance in full and on time, we reserve the right to treat your booking as cancelled by you in which case the cancellation charges set out in clause 8 will become payable and we will retain the deposit paid.
5.2. We accept payment by credit card and debit card. Late bookings made within 14 days prior to departure may require ticket pickup at the airport. An administration charge of £25 per booking will apply.
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Changing your booking:
7.1. If, after the confirmation invoice has been issued, you wish to change your travel arrangements forming part of your Package in any way, we will endeavour to make these changes (subject to these Bookings Conditions and any applicable charges being paid by you), but it may not always be possible. All amendments are subject to availability and eligibility to make changes and actual charges applying with be advised to you when you request the change. Any amendments to your original holiday will be subject to these Booking Conditions.
7.2. Any request for changes to be made must be in writing from the 'lead name' on the booking. If we agree and are able to make the changes requested, you will be asked to pay an administration charge of £50 per person together with any further costs we incur in making this alteration as referred to in clause 7.5. In cases where the administration charges made by our Suppliers are higher we reserve the right to pass on such charges to you.
7.3. You can transfer your booking to another person, who satisfies all the conditions that apply to this booking, by giving us notice in writing at least 7 days before departure. Both you and the new traveller are responsible for paying all costs we incur in making the transfer, including an administrative fee of £50 per person.
7.4. Name change requests within 48 hours of the date of departure cannot be guaranteed. As most airlines do not permit name changes after tickets have been issued for any reason, these charges are likely to be the full cost of the flight. If you request to change all names on a booking, this will be considered as a cancellation and new booking and full cancellation charges will apply.
7.5. You should be aware that any amendment costs or fees could also increase the closer to the departure date that changes are made. Only one change of departure date, per booking may be permitted, subject to availability. Any change in departure date will be treated as a cancellation and full cancellation charges will apply as set out in these Booking Conditions. In addition, you will be asked to pay an administration fee of £50 per person to secure the new departure date. Any further changes may be treated as a cancellation by you and result in further cancellation charges being applied.
Please Note: Certain arrangements forming part of your holiday may not be amended after they have been confirmed and any alteration could incur a cancellation of that part of the arrangement and a cancellation charge of up to 100% of the relevant part(s). In some cases, any changes made may mean you having to pay for the cancelled arrangements and purchasing new ones at full cost.
If you cancel your trip:
8.1. You, or any named member of your party, may cancel your travel arrangements at any time prior to departure (subject to any cancellation charges) but you are only permitted to cancel any individual component part of your travel arrangements providing your remaining booking meets the definition of a package as defined by the Regulations You may be permitted to cancel certain other component parts of your Package (for example, car rental, transfers, excursions, experiences or other extras) independently subject to payment of any cancellation charges of the Supplier of the service being applicable and which will be advised at the time of the cancellation request. Please contact us and we will confirm if such cancellation is possible.
8.2. Written notification by post or email from the ‘lead name’ on the booking must be received at our offices. Since we incur costs in cancelling your travel arrangements, you will be required to pay the applicable cancellation charges (with the exception below). For more information on cancellation charges please see the notes below.
Please note: If the reason for your cancellation is covered under the terms of your insurance policy, you may be able to reclaim these charges from your insurance company. Your insurance premium is non-refundable by us.
8.3. You can cancel your booking without paying cancellation charges if the performance of your package, or the carriage of passengers to your destination, is significantly affected by unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances. In such circumstances, we will arrange for your booking to be terminated and for you to receive a full refund. We will observe advice provided by the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office.
8.4 Cancellation Charges
Since we incur costs in cancelling your travel arrangements, you will have to pay the applicable cancellation shown in the grid below.
Period before departure within which notice of cancellation is receive by us in writing
% of total booking price*
More than 84 days
Loss of deposit
57-84 days
30%
37-56 days
50%
22-36 days
70%
7-21 days
90%
Less than 7 days
100%
* In some cases the deposit may be a higher amount to secure your arrangements, this will be non-refundable and the charges will be added to the cancellation charges above. In cases where cancellation charges made by our suppliers are higher than the cost of the deposit, we may pass the charge on to you. Please ask for full details and we will notify you of the specific charges applicable to your booking.
Insurance:
3.1. It is a condition of your booking with us that you and all other members of your party including all infants and children, are adequately insured on your holiday. It is your responsibility to ensure that the insurance policy you purchase is suitable, covers your requirements (including but not limited to health requirements and car hire requirements) and is adequate for your particular needs and travel arrangements. Please read and take it with you on holiday.
3.2. Please note that if you transfer your holiday, you cannot transfer the holiday insurance. The new traveller must ensure that they have their own insurance in line with these booking conditions.
3.3. We strongly advise that you take out a policy of insurance in order to cover you and your party against the cost of cancellation by you; the cost of assistance (including repatriation) in the event of accident or illness; loss of baggage and money; and other expenses, as well as ensuring you have cover for any activities you have booked, including additional cover for skiing/extreme sports/adventure travel and all other activities you have booked.
Please note: After departure no refund will be made on any part-used or unused components of your holiday (e.g. unused flights, car hire, attraction tickets or as a result of early check-out).
Our cancellation charges are a percentage of the total holiday cost, not including your insurance premium which is non-refundable. These charges are based on how many days before your departure we receive your cancellation notice and not when your correspondence was sent to us. Please note that any amendment charges are non-refundable.
Passports, visas & travel documents:
1. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are in possession of all necessary travel and health documents before departure and for ensuring that you meet any foreign entry requirements. A full and valid passport is required for destinations we feature (including for children) and Visas (transit, business, tourist or otherwise) may be required for some destinations and depending on the passport you hold. Requirements may change and the length of time it is likely to take to obtain the appropriate passports and visas will vary.
2. Most countries now require passports to be valid for at least 6 months after your return date. If your passport is in its final year, you should check with the Embassy of the country you are visiting. For further information contact the Passport Office on 0300 222 0000 or visit https://www.gov.uk/browse/citizenship/passports.